Railroad spreader



Aug. 25A 1925.

J. F. CURTIS RAILROAD SPREADER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 18, 1925 M, v a amma Wu,

Aug. 25, 1 925.

J. F. CURTIS RAILROAD SPREADER Fiied April 18, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inxferm J05 f 20122; W

Patented Aug. 25, 1925.

PTENT OFFICE.

JOHN F. CUPJEES, OE CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO 0. F. JORDAN COMPANY, OF EAST CHICAGO, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

RAILROAD SPREADER.

Application filed April 18, 1925. Serial No. 24,140.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN F. Gnarls, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad Spreaders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in railroad spreaders and consists of the matters hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In railroad spreaders embodying a car having side or main spreader wings and bank shaping or extension wings, the side wings are so pivotally connected to the car as to be capable of a vertical adjustment as well as a horizontal swinging movement. toward and away from the car. The extension wing is so connected to the main spreader wing as to be used either as material carrying wing or a bank shaping wing. When used as a material carrying wing, it is swung about its pivotal connection with the main spreader wing so as to extend substantially parallel with the car and its free end is connected by a removable brace with the side of the car. l Vhen said extension wing is used as a bank shaping wing, it is arranged parallel with the main spreader wing as an extension thereof. However, it is sometimes desired to use the main spreader wing alone. Under such conditions the extension wing is swung about its horizontal axis so as to be inoperative.

Vith the extension wing being used as a bank shaper, it is apparent that great strains are imposed upon both wings due to the resistance of the material being operated upon, and folding and telescopic brace bars are employed between the rear sides of both wings and the car body. The connection between said braces and car body is provided by a shaft to which the inner ends of the brace bars are connected. When it is desired to change the angular relation between said wings and car, this may be brought about by the telescopic. features of the brace bars but when it is desired to swing the wings back against and parallel with the car for the purpose of transport from place to place, the shaft is rotated to fold up the brace bars. Again, some times it is necessary to use only the main spreader wing and under such conditions the extension wing is swung vertically about its horizontal axial connection with the main wing so that it is out of the way. Under such conditions, as well as when the extension wing is used as a carrying wing the brace bars associated with the extension wing are disconnected therefrom and are folded back toward and secured to the car, thus leaving the braces associated with the main spreader wing undisturbed as far as their connection with the main spreader wing and operating shaft is concerned.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a construction, wherein the brace bars associated with the extension wing may be folded back against the car without in any manner interfering with the operation of the braces of the main wing.

A. further object of the invention is to provide a novel operating shaft for the brace bars by means of which one set of brace bars may be quickly released from the operating influence of said shaft when necessary.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a sectional shaft for the said brace bars, wherein one shaft section may be readily disconnected from the other so that said first. section is rendered inoperative without disturbing the operative relation of the other.

These objects of the invention as well as the many advantages thereof will more fully appear as I proceed with my specification.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a top plan View of a railroad spreader embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view on an en larged scale through the brace bar operating shaft, as taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view through one form of shaft coupling embodying my invention, the plane of the section being indicated by the line M of Fig. 3.

Referring now in detail to that embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings: 1 indicates a car resembling an ordinary railroad flat car but of a narrow width so that the spreader wings may work close to the rails. As shown herein, said car comprises an under frame 2 mounted upon suitable front and rear trucks 3-4 and upon said under frame is laid the floor or deck 5 extending from end to end of the car. At a. point slightly to the rear of the front truck, are provided upright columns 6-6, one at each side of the car, which are suitably secured to the under frame and :rtend nearly to the rails, said columns being braced at their top to said car in a manner well known. Vertically movable in said. columns are posts 77 operated by suitable air engines 88 arranged on the deck near said columns, said engines receiving thei source of pressure fluid from a tank 9 arranged on said deck about midway between its ends.

The two sides of the car are exactly alike except that the parts occupy reversed positions and, therefore a description of the parts on one side of the car will suffice for both. However, it should be here stated that the wings are independently operated and that either one or both of them may be used at one time according to the work to be done.

On each post 7 at the bottom end thereof is a heavy hinge plate 10 and to this is secured a heavy hinge section 11 of the main or side spreader wing 12. The hinge plate and hinge section are connected together by a vertical axis pin 13 and tl e main or side spreading wing 12 is secured to the hinge section 11 by a horizontally disposed pin 14. The two hinge pins being arranged a right angle allow the wing to he swung in both a vertical and a horizontal plane. The horizontal movement occurs in the distending or retracting of the wing away from and toward the car and the vertical movement of the wing occurs when it is desired to incline the same with relation to a horizontal plane for the purpose well known. The free or outer end of the wing 12 is sustained and braced by a brace 15 which is shown with its central portion broken away in Fig. 1. The said brace is telescopic and its bottom end is pivotally connected to said wing 12 while its top end is vertically pivoted to a plate 16 carried by the post As the wing 12 is connected to the post 7 as before described, it is apparent that it will rise and fall therewith under the operation of the engine 8. In Fig. 1.. one wing 12 is shown distended while the other wing is shown as folded back against the car for transport purposes.

In connection with the side spreader wine there is employed a secondary wing 17 which is operatively connected to the outer end of said side spreader wing by means of hinge plate construction 18 which permits movement of said wing 17 about both a vertical and a horizontal axis so that said secondary wing may be swung into either a position parallel with said side spreader wing to form an extension or bank shaping wing as shown in full line in Fig. 1, or into a position parallel with the car to form a material carrying wing as best shown in dotted lines in said Fig. 1. When in said last mentioned position the free end of said secondary or extension wing may be connected to the side of the car by means of a ren'iovable and detachable brace 19, best shown in dotted lines in said Fig. 1.

For holding the side wing and the extension wing distended as shown in full lines in Fig. 1, against the ballast. I employ a plurality of braces 20 and 21 respectively, arranged in pairs with one pair 20 associated with the main or side spreading wing and with the other pair 2 associated with the secondary or or: ension wing. Instead of making said braces in the form of rigid struts or beams, I prefer to use the toggle and telescopic form of braces best shown in the Jordan Patent No. 996,256 of June 27, 1911. The braces 2 are permanently attached at their outer ends to brackets 22 on the rear side of the side spreader wing 12 while the outer ends of the braces 21 are capable of detachable connections to similar brackets 22 on normally the rear side of the secondary or extension wing 17. By reason of the telescopic feature of said braces the working scope of the wings as well as its horizontal angular position with respect to the car may be adjusted as desired. The brace bars 20. 21 are substantially alike but are of different lengths as best shown in Fig. 1 and each comprises inner and outer sections 2(l-?0 and 21' 21 The sections comprising each bar are pivotall connected togethe by a toggle or fo ding rule joint 2 and several of said sections are made up of a plurality of parts which are telescopic as best shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing) As the speciiic construction of the folding rule joint and telescopic features of the brace form. no particular part of the present invention. they are not described in detail herein.

The inner ends of all the braces. except the shortest one thereof, which is located closest the column 6. extend into and are loosely connected to socketed castings 24-24 and 25 respectively. so as to be capable of a limited amount of movement with respect thereto. The castings 4-24 are nonrotatively mounted on a shaft section 26 which is preferably square in cross section while the casting together with the inner end of the shorter brace bar 20 is likewise mounted on a second shaft section 27 in line with said shaft section 26 and adapted to be connected thereto by a coupling 28 to be described in detail later. so that when desired said sections may be rotated as a non-sectional shaft, or they may be disconnected so that rotative movement may be imparted to one without affecting the other. Both shaft sections are Ill) rotatively mounted in bearing brackets extending laterally from the car underframe, said brackets being interconnected with the inner ends of the brace bars 21 as best shown in Fig. 1.

The coupling 28 is made up of two coupler sections.2"-26 secured respectively to the shaft sections 26 and 27 and operatively connected together so that one coupler section may be locked to the other or so that one coupler section may be disconnected from the other for relative rotative movement but not for longitudinal separation. The coupler section 28 is made up of two identical parts each including longitudinal extending sleeves 29 of angular cross section, and a radial flange portion 30. The sleeves 2929 are adapted to embrace one half of the squared end of said shaft section 26 and each has a longitudinal bolting flange 81. W hen a pair of such coupler sections are placed on the end of the shaft section 26, their bolting flanges will substantially meet in the plane of opposite corners of said shaft section and bolts 32 passing through said flanges s curely clamp them together and onto said shaft section. In each radial flange portion is provided a longitudinal hole 33, thus providing two of such holes diametrically oppositely disposed in each coupler section.

The coupler section 28 is substantially the same construction as that just described and the like parts are similarly numbered, the only difference being that the radial flange portions 3030 of said section 28 include peripheral portions 30 -30 wh1ch overhang the peripheral portion of the flanges -30 of the other coupler section as best shown in Fig. at so as to prevent longitudinal separation between said sections. Bolts 34 are used to rotatively connect said coupler sections together, said bolts passing through the holes 33 in said coupler section flanges and nuts are then threaded onto said bolts. As it is apparent, the shaft sections may be disconnected as far as relative rotation is concerned by removing the bolts 34; without in any manner disturbing their abutting endwise relation. Secured to that end of the shaft section 27 nearest the shorter brace bar 20 is an arm to which is operatively connected the outer end of a piston rod 36 having a piston head arranged within a transversely disposed engine or cylinder 37 located underneath the car deck. Said cylinder is connected up with the air tank 9 in any suitable manner so that an in and an out power stroke may be imparted to the piston rod to rock the shaft provided by the shaft sections 26 and 2?.

Assume that the parts are in the position shown at the top of Fig. 1 wherein the two wing sections are folded back against the car for transport purposes and the brace bars 20 and 21 are folded upwardly as shown and it is desired to distend said wings into the full line position shown at the bottom of said Fig. 1. The engine 3'? would be actuated to thrust its piston outwardly and this will impart a rocking movement to the shaft sections 26, 27 assuming them to be rotatively locked together by the coupling 28. Said shaft sections through the brace bars 2021 will swing the wings away from the car about their vertical axis upon the post 7 in the column 6, until the sections of the brace bars are aligned and further unfolding movement is prevented by the fold ing rule joint in said bars. The side wing and extension wing will then be in the operative position shown at the bottom of 1. Relative vertical angular position of theezitension wing with respect to the side wing may be had within certain limits without disturbing the connection between said e1;- tension wing and associated brace bar. Assume, however that it is desired to use the extension wing as amaterial carrying wing as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The brace bars 2121 are detached from the brackets 22 on the said wing 1? and the bolts 3a are removed from the coupler'sections, thus permitting the shaft ections 2627 of being rotated independently of each other. The braces 21-21 may then be folded up in a suitable manner and then temporar ly secured to the car in an out of the way position. The extension wing is theirs-w ung about its vertical pivotal connection with the side wing into a position paralle with the car as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 and its free end is then connected to the car by the brace bar 19 as shown in said figure. The excess of such ballast as is now be.n. operated upon will be carried along by said wings to a point ahead to be disposed of as for instance to fill in a cut or the like.

Should it be found necessary to change the horizontal angular position of the main spreader wing with reference to the car, this may be done by reducing the length of the telescopic braces 2020. However, should this change be only momentarily as when passing an obstruction, the same may be brought about by rotating the shaft section 27 (the shaft section 26 being disconnected therefrom) to swing the wing 13 inwardlv. far enough to pass said obstruction. After the obstruction has been passed. the wing is readily returned to its original position by rotating said shaft section 27 in the opposite direction. Should it thereafter be desired to use the wing, 17 as an extension wing. the brace 19 is disconnected and removed and the wing 17 is swung into the full line 1 position shown in Fig. 1. The brace bars 21 are unfolded and again connected to the brackets on the rear side of said wing 17 and the holes 33 in the coupler sections 28-28 are brought into registration and the bolts 3% repositioned to rotatively secure said shaft sections together. To fold the wings back against the car, the shaft formed by said shaft sections 2627 is rotated when the braces LO-2l will fold up into the position shown at the top of said Fig. 1.

Under some conditions, it might be ad visable to provide secondary braces between the toggle or folding rule joints 23 of the several brace bars 2021. To this end I provide laterally extending ears 23 -n3 on parts of said joints as best shown in Figs. 1 and 2, which ears are adapted to detachably receive the ends of secondary brace bars EBB-8. Said secondary brace bars assist in holding the brace bars 20-2l in proper spaced relations at points between their ends when distended. When the wing 17 is used as a material carrying wing as before described, the intermediate secondary brace bar 38 is detached from its associated ears and removed from the apparatus so that the brace bars 2121 may be folded into the position shown in Fig. 2.

The many advantages of the invention will be apparent to those familiar with the art. The shaft sections may be readily disconnected rotatively when necessary and may be as readily connected together again into exact alignment. The parts are strong and are so constructed as to be applied either in the assembly of a new spreader or may be assembled in spreaders now in use by cutting the shaft at the proper place, applying the parts and bolting them on, because it is not necessary to position them from the end of a shaft and then slide them along said shaft.

While in describing my invention, I have referred to certain details of mechanical construction and arrangement of parts, the same is for purpose of illustration only and I do not wish to be limited thereto except as may be pointed out in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. The improvement herein described comprising a car in combination with a side wing pivoted thereto, a secondary wing operat-ively connected to said side wing, and wing swinging and holding braces adapted for either a simultaneous operation or an independent operation, and means for operating said braces.

2. The improvement herein described comprising a car in combination with a side wing pivoted thereto, a secondary wing operatively connected to said side wing, and folding wing swinging and holding braces adapted for either asimultaneous operation or an independent operation, and means for operating said braces.

3. The improvement herein described comprising a car in combination with a side wing pivoted thereto, a secondary wing operatively connected to said side wing, wing swinging and holding braces, and means for operating said braces, said means including disconnec-tible parts whereby one wing may be swung independently of the other, after the braces associated with said other wing have been detached therefrom.

4-. The improvement herein described comprising a car in combination with a side wing pivoted thereto, a secondary wing oper atively connected to said side wing and adapted to form an extension thereof, a shaft mounted on said car, and wing swinging and holding braces connecting said shaft and wings, said shaft being so constructed that a part thereof may be rendered inoperative without disturbing the operativeness of the other part thereof.

5. The improvement herein described comprising a car in combination with a side wing pivoted thereto, a secondary wing OPQIZltiVGlI J connected to said side wing and adapted to form an extension thereof, a shaft mounted on said car, means for rocking said shaft, and wing swinging and holding braces connecting said shaft and wings, said shaft being so constructed that one part may be disconnected from the other part to which said means for rocking the shaft is affixed.

6. The improvement herein described comprising a car in combination with a side wing pivoted thereto, a secondary wing operatively connected to said side wing and adapted to form an extension thereof, a shaft mounted on said car, and comprising a plurality of sections adapted to be connected together and to be disconnected from each other, means for rocking said shaft, fixed to one of said sections, and wing swinging and holding braces connecting said side wing to one shaft section and the extension wing to the other shaft section.

7. The improvement herein described comprising a car in combination with a side wing pivoted thereto, a secondary wing operatively connected to said side wing and adapted to form an extension thereof, a shaft mounted on said car and comprising a plurality of sections, means for coupling and uncoupling said shaft sections to and from each other so that they may turn simultaneously or inde nndently of each other, means attached to one shaft section for imparting movement thereto and wing swingin and holding braces connecting said side wing to that shaft section to which said means is attached and similar holding braces connecting the extension wing to said other shaft section.

8. The improvement herein described comprising a car, in combination with a side wing, pivoted thereto, a secondary wing operatively connected to said side wing and adapted to form an extension thereof, a shaft journalled on the car and comprising a plurality of sections, means for coupling and uncoupling said shaft sections, means fixed to one shaft section for rocking the same, foldable brace bars for connecting said last mentioned shaft section to said side 5 Wings and folding brace bars fixed at one end tothe other shaft section and being detachably connected to the extension Wing so that when said shaft sections are uncoupied, said last mentioned brace bars may be folded up and against the car. 10 In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, this 28 day of March, 1925.

JOHN F. CURTIS. 

